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PS4 Review: Samurai Warriors 4

Samurai Warriors 4 is the Japanese counterpart to Dynasty Warriors. Story is more of the same: warring Japanese families fighting for control of Japan. There are some fun facts on Eastern history hidden away here, but nothing fans probably haven’t already seen before. Narrative aside it was always great to see the over the top action especially when accompanied by English voice acting. However this game lack that, diminishing what used to be a fun romp into Cheeseville.

Gameplay too remains unchanged, but with a few thankful tweaks. Between Story, Chronicle, and Free mode, players can take two warriors into battle and switch between them on the fly. This game was designed around co-op in mind with some maps taking between 20-30 minutes to complete. It goes faster with a buddy, but characters can be tactically commanded on the map, making swapping between characters a breeze and adds a layer of tactics onto the battlefield.

To go back to Chronicle mode, this new quest allows players to customize a character and take him/her on a conquest around Japan. The goal is to become strong by leveling up and acquiring allies and gold in order to fulfill the quest. The maps are much faster to get through making gameplay more addictive. It’s repetitive, mindless fun with a unique set of characters and abilities that puts many combo heavy games to shame.

This is the best looking in the series yet…which isn’t saying much. It’s like a super HD PS3 game. Repetitive maps, blurry textures, and glitches plague this title. However loads, for the first time it what seems like ages, are vastly improved. Music consists of metal mixed with classic Japanese twang that players will either love, or hate: this writer being on the former. There’s a lot to do and the Chronicle mode was a great addition to this installment of the series.

Samurai Warriors 4 will please its diehard fans. It won’t change any minds to those that don’t like the series, but Koei Tecmo probably knows that by now. Yet the few improvements may get a few more people curious. Going in with an open mind and a friend can do wonders. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s still a blast.

Score: 3/5 Stars

Special Notes: The publisher provided a review code for the game. This article was originally published on October 28, 2014 via my Examiner account before the website shut down. Check out the supporting video review on the accompanying YouTube Channel, ReActionExaminer.